Every Flower Fades
by Isis Lied
Summary: AU When Amaimon grows bored of Gehenna, he takes a chance and kidnaps a certain blonde herbalist. But when he realizes just what happens to humans who spend too long in Gehenna, he will have to make a choice: play the human or play the devil. Will they be able to save each other, or is there no light bright enough to save them both? Amaimon/Shiemi


Every Flower Fades  
Summary: AU When Amaimon grows bored of Gehenna, he takes a chance and kidnaps a certain blonde herbalist. But when he realizes just what happens to humans who spend too long in Gehenna, he will have to make a choice: play the human or play the devil. Will they be able to save each other, or is there no light bright enough to save them both? Amaimon/Shiemi

Genre: Angst, Romance, Horror

A/N: ^^' Plot bunnies for Amaimon/Shiemi are seriously running rampant in my head. This story idea has been bugging me forever, so I finally decided to post it. All you need to know for this fic is that Amaimon has _not _met any of the exorcists at True Cross Academy until now.

Warning: Beware tragedy and angst! I'm in the mood for some tears, so this may get irrevocably sad.

Title and Quote from: Hymn for the Missing, by Red

* * *

_"These scars are just a trace  
Now it wanders lost and wounded  
This __**heart**__ that I misplaced."_

* * *

There is blood. Fingers curled in the ribcage of some lesser demon, Amaimon lets out a sigh of boredom. Cerulean eyes bore into the nearly fading amber of the other demon as he retracts his hand from the demon's chest. It falls to the ground with a heavy thud, scattering a layer of orange sand. Crimson pools at his feet, but the Earth King pays it no mind, licking the blood from his claws before squeezing the heart in his hand. It shatters in a flash of dark smoke, signaling the end of the lesser demon.

"How sad... Even in death you still offer no entertainment." The green-haired demon walks across the corpse of the other, smashing the ribcage with his foot. He continues forward without a destination.

Everywhere in Gehenna was the same. There was dirt and rolling plains for miles. The occasional demon skeleton and even less occasional sentient demon would be found, but would eventually run out of novelty.

It was all so dreadfully boring. The Earth King had stepped out of his own territory in the hopes of having someone challenge him for the throne. Unfortunately, no one seemed to be taking his summon seriously. Of the thirteen demons so far, the last one had lasted the longest, a disappointing five minutes.

He was the only demon king in Gehenna minus Astaroth at the moment, and the king of Rot was pleased with his domain. He loved the death and disease and destruction. The odds of the silver-haired King coming to face Amaimon were slim, and looking up at the miasma filled sky, he knew it would be a long time before anyone of subsequent power would show up to face him.

He turned around suddenly, a flash of something other than boredom in his eyes. He was planning to return to his territory, but...

Amaimon changed his course. It was about time he visited dear ol' dad. After all, it had been nearly a century. Kicking a single wandering coal tar with the tip of his boot, he shoved his hands into his pockets. The cerulean-eyed devil pressed forward, the remnants of some medieval castle looming in the dark horizon.

* * *

The throne room is littered with skeletons. The Earth King kicks a skull to the side, following the tapered red carpet to the crumbling throne. While the figure was completely shadowed, blue flames could be seen behind him, growing in intensity at the sight of the green-haired demon.

"Amaimon, what a pleasant surprise! How long has it been, a decade or two?"

"A century." He responds, keeping a safe distance from the King of Demons.

"Has it really been that long? Time in Gehenna flows so slowly…" The voice bellowed, leading to a maniacal chuckle.

"Now, my son, what is it that you require? My children only come to me when they want something."

"I wish for entertainment. Anything to stave off my boredom. I grow tired of Gehenna; my wish is to travel to Assiah."

The demon let out a loud cackle, the flames around his throne rising to the cracked ceiling. From where he was standing, Amaimon could barely make out the faint traces of miasma clouds in the nearly pitch-black sky.

"Is that all? Very well, I will allow you passage. You may want to visit your older brother, Mephisto. He's in Japan right now. A wonderful little gem of human corruption, or so I've been told."

Amaimon nodded, stepping back as a flash of cobalt erupted from the cracks in the floor. Soon, the whole floor began to crumble away, revealing a large pit. Blue flames slowly transformed into numerous eyes as the gate to Assiah emerged. Taking one last look at Gehenna, the King of Earth fell in, closing his eyes as he was engulfed in the black miasma.

"Have fun, son!" A chilling voice echoed just before he lost consciousness.

* * *

When he awakens, it is under the shade of a lofty oak tree. There is a faint pain in his left eye, and as he rises to a sitting position, he can feel a warm liquid slide against his cheek. It wasn't unusual for demons to lose appendages when traveling from one universe to the other. In fact, the green-haired prince was actually surprised that there wasn't more damage done to his human host.

Already, his eye was forming back, filling in the gaping hole. Blinking a few times, he saw that his vision had returned, shapes blending together until he realized exactly where he was.

A small garden stretched out in front of him, rows of daisies and sunflowers tall and bright. The sun was just setting, casting a hazy orange glow over the flowers. He could hear the chatter of the plants and flowers, all singing praises to some human girl.

Usually, the king would tune out his subject's words, finding them more than annoying. They were useful, however, in gathering information, and he found himself drawn into the bell-like chatter. He listened, shutting his eyes as wave after wave of voices erupted in his head.

The voices machinated into a single name, Shiemi. He cocked his head to the side, confusion clear in his cerulean orbs. From what his familiars had told him, there wasn't anything special about her. She went to school, helped out her mother at their little herbal store, and had a small group of friends. She seemed to have an affinity towards gardening and as the flowers sent him a mental picture of the woman, he heard the creaking of metal behind him.

"A-ah, hello. What are you doing here, sir?" A hesitant voice called out, breaking his connection with the flowers. Turning around, he saw the same girl that the flowers had described stepping through the wrought-iron gate. Her blonde hair glowed dimly in the fading light, teased by the gentle wind. She stared at him quizzically with her emerald orbs in a mixture of surprise and curiosity. How strange, he thought, that she wasn't showing any outward signs of fear.

"You are Shiemi." He stated blankly, pointing a clawed finger at the girl. He rose to his feet, letting out a large fanged yawn.

"H-how do you know my name? And who are you?" The blonde questioned, watching the stranger wearily. He didn't seem like much of a threat, yet… there was a feeling deep in her stomach telling her to run.

"The flowers told me your name. I am Amaimon." He responded simply, walking closer to the girl.

"A-Amaimon!? T-then you are… the Demon King of Earth!" She gasped, quickly pulling out her summoning paper. Yukio had explained the hierarchy of Gehenna barely a week ago in class, stressing the sincere caution one needed to take when facing a demon with the rank of king.

He held up a hand, tired eyes narrowing. "As much as I'd like to play with you, Father told me I have to visit big brother. I'll see you later."

The green-haired demon hopped over the fence before disappearing, leaving nothing but a stray piece of his red coat in his wake. Shiemi picked it up, running her fingers against the soft fabric. For a demon king, he didn't seem particularly violent. He hadn't even really attacked her. If anything, he just seemed bored, listless.

_What a strange person… I wonder, is he like Rin? Or is he a bad demon? _

The blonde-haired herbalist shook her head. She was being silly; he was a demon prince, after all. He didn't get the title from simply being nice to people. Slipping the fabric into her skirt pocket, the emerald-eyed woman sighed.

"Well, I still need to tend to the garden…" She mumbled, pushing the incident to the back of her mind. It would do no good to dwell on what she knew nothing of. Silently, she hoped their next encounter (considering he had said he would see her later) wouldn't end in bloodshed.

* * *

"Now, what do I owe the honor of seeing my adorable younger brother?" Mephisto chuckled, reclining in his office chair.

Amaimon sat on the armrest of the couch, fiddling with a lollipop wrapper. He bit into the sweet candy before responding, voice muffled by the treat. "Uh, I dunno. I was bored, or somethin'."

"Mind your manners, Amaimon! Don't talk with your mouth full! And get your shoes off of my couch!" The violet-haired principal chastised, already feeling the stirrings of a headache.

"Sorry…" He mumbled in response, moving to stand beside the older demon's desk. Mephisto sighed, removing his purple gloves. Folding his hands, he gave his younger brother a stern look.

"You're not allowed to 'play' with any of my students, understand?"

The cerulean-eyed man nodded. "Alright… if I can have some more candy to take back with me to Gehenna."

Mephisto groaned. "Fine, fine. Just take what you want and leave. I have a couple of exorcists coming to my office to hand me their reports in a few minutes. I do not want to have to explain why you're here."

The Earth King had stopped listening after Mephisto had allowed him to take the candy. He darted towards the table lined with sweets, shoving an assortment of wrapped candies in his coat pocket. He then proceeded to take a jar of lollipops, much to his older brother's chagrin.

"Bye, brother. I'll tell Father you said hello." Amaimon gave a small wave, opening the office window.

"W-wait, we're on the third story! What if someone sees you—"

But the demon was already gone, leaping through the window to roll silently onto the grass. Shaking off a few pieces of stray grass from his coat, Amaimon shoved a cherry lollipop into his mouth. He had one more place he had to go to before returning to Gehenna.

From the office window, the principal sighed. It seemed that his younger brother was intent on causing as much havoc as possible in the human world. A smirk flitted onto the demon's face, eyes darkening considerably. Well, he wasn't the only one, at least…

* * *

The moon was just beginning to rise in the sky when the Earth King made it back to the garden. He brought a clawed hand to the gate, only to recoil as sparks traveled up his arm.

"Annoying…" He mumbled, kicking the gate door down. It thudded harshly to the ground, alerting the attention of the only other person in the garden.

She turned to see the demon casually walk over the damaged gate holding a plastic jar of lollipops. He took one and quickly unwrapped it, shoving a blueberry flavored lollipop into his mouth.

Shiemi automatically took a few steps back, fingers poised over the pocket that held her summoning paper. "I don't want to fight you, Amaimon!"

He cocked his head to the side in a bemused manner. "Big brother said I couldn't 'play' with any of his students so I can't anyway." Instead, he pulled out a lollipop, arm stretched towards her.

"Do you want one?" He asked in his usual monotone.

She shook her head, taking a step closer to the strange demon king. Amaimon shrugged, placing the candy back in the jar.

"Why are you in Assiah?" She questioned, relaxing slightly. The demon paused, scratching the back of his head.

"Hmm… why did I come here? Oh, I remember. Assiah is a lot more exciting than Gehenna."

"That's all?" She asked incredulously, surprised at his unbearably simple answer.

He nodded. Staring at the blonde-haired girl, an idea popped into his head. He had to return to Gehenna, but it didn't mean he had to go back to his same old boring routine. His brother had only said not to 'play' with any of the students; he said nothing about bringing one back to Gehenna. The Earth King remembered a bit of information that the flowers had told him earlier, a flash of something other than boredom flitting across his eyes.

"Do you want to go to Amahara?" He spoke, munching on the candy in his mouth.

"O-of course! But, how did you know I wanted to go?"

"The flowers told me. I am the gatekeeper to Amahara. I can take you there." He replied, offering a hand.

Shiemi stilled. He was a demon prince and there was no guarantee that he wasn't lying. It was a foolish, stupid idea to go with him, yet, she could feel her feet making the decision for her. For a moment, she feared she had been possessed because despite her brain screaming to stop, her legs continued forward.

"It's in Gehenna. Come on." With that, he took her hand, mumbling something in demon language to contact his Father. Suddenly, there was a flash of blue light, bathing the tiny garden in a cobalt glow. Shiemi let out a gasp, watching as the ground ripped in two, revealing the gaping maw of the Gehenna gate. There was a sea of eyes and the sound of animalistic growls as the gate swallowed the pair.

Then, there was darkness.

* * *

A/N: Oh, Amaimon, kidnapping people is not how you get them to like you XD I know that we've only heard of a Gehenna gate, but there has to be one to Assiah as well, right? There will be some speculative content in this fic (like Satan having a corporeal body in Gehenna), but there shouldn't be any OC's unless I absolutely need to fill in a Gehenna prince role. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed it :3

**Review?**

-Isis


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